belfasthammer wrote:Playing three at the back is seen to be an attacking option but can be woeful if you are pressed back It is not attacking if the shot count is as as woeful as you can get.

The problem with 3 at the back is that you need ball playing center backs for it to enhance the offensive options. We just don't really have any, with Kouyate possibly being the exception.

So many times against Stoke one of our back 3 had the ball in acres of space and not had a clue what to do with it - apart from either pass it square or launch it pointlessly upfield.

Much as I don't really like them, Stones or Luiz would have charged out of defence, drawn an opposition player or two towards them and then found a pass more often than not, to turn defence in to attack. When our back 3 have the ball, everything just grinds to a halt - there's no fluidity between the back line and the midfield and that's killing us.

Not sure how Slav can fix that with the players we have available. Maybe a ball playing CB should be on the agenda in January, but for the life of me I have no idea who we should even be considering, let alone trying to sign!

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I hate it when people don't know the difference between "your" and "you're". There so stupid.

I think thats a key point,Billy, passing the ball to a wing back when he still has his marker and the rest of the opposition between him and the goal seems fruitless to me. You ideally need to draw an opponent before releasing the ball.

Problem is we aren't using wing backs as an outlet nor anyone else, they aren't working hard enough to get space, remember the little triangles Payet Lanzini and Cresswell did so well last season with a cross or an attempt on goal being the outcome, doesn't happen anymore, WHY ?WHY are we trying to go through the middle all the time, WHEN is a striker going to get some decent service, WHY is there such an enormous gap between midfield and lonesome striker.I don't want to see Collins bringing the ball out, it's a recipe for disaster I don't want to see more than one holding midfielder, take the game to them, we are so fucking predictable, take the fucking shackles off Kouyate, let him play hs natural game.

A few people are calling for Fletcher but he's never bought on early enough to have a realistic opinion on him.If Fernandes starts it should be attacking midfield, with nothing to do with the defence.My wish is to have a similar player to Chek,he's been a revelation in the back three role,but we are missing his interventions in midfield.As Geo quite rightly said we can't play the 3-4-3,3-5-2, depending how you see it.especially when your playing teams,who are coming for a point,and to slow things up.We are missing someone who won't be bullied off the ball,because a lot of our better players I.e Payet,Lanzini, are.along with loose passing from all.Adrian was always going to clatter the next stoke player, after Bony caught him late,good shot stopper but I thought the defence on the whole deserved their clean sheet,he has head rushes no good for a keeper.We really are becoming our own worst enemy,if we don't do the usual and up our game against the better teams,I see a real battle for survival this year. COYI